Policy: Library Card Eligibility 

A. Residents

Because the Library is a discretionarily funded unit of the City of Fayetteville, permanent residents of the City of Fayetteville shall be issued a FPL card free of charge.

 
B. Non-residents

1. The following categories of non-residents shall be issued an individual FPL card free of charge:
   1. Fayetteville property owners
   2. Persons employed in Fayetteville
   3. Students enrolled in schools, colleges, and universities in Fayetteville and students enrolled at NorthWest Arkansas Community College and UAMS
   4. Staff and board members of non-profit (501c3) organizations located in Washington, Benton, Madison, or Carroll County 
   5. Family members under age 18 and residing at the same address may be issued their own individual non-resident cards at no additional cost.
   6. Additional adults residing at the same address who do not qualify as stated in items a-d above must purchase a non-resident library card by paying the appropriate fee.
2. Patrons who are not eligible for a FPL library card may use materials inside the libraries without cost.
3. Non-residents who wish to borrow materials from FPL may do so by payment of an annual non-resident card fee, which provides one person with a non-resident FPL card.
   1. Family members under age 18 and residing at the same address may be issued their own individual non-resident cards at no additional cost.
   2. Additional adults residing at the same address may be issued their own individual non-resident cards upon payment of the non-resident fee.

4. In the interest of supporting Fayetteville residents who may work or spend time in other Northwest Arkansas cities, FPL has reciprocal borrowing privileges with the Washington County Library System, Rogers Public Library and Bentonville Public Library. As such, the annual fee will be waived for residents of Washington County and the Cities of Bentonville, Elkins, Springdale, and Winslow as their fees are waived for Fayetteville residents. To extend access to residents in these areas, Fayetteville residents, along with those from Bentonville, Elkins, Elm Springs, Hindsville, Rogers (including Little Flock), Siloam Springs, Springdale, Washington County, Wesley, and Winslow, are all eligible for free library cards.

   
    

C. Community’s investment

To protect the community’s investment in library resources and ensure they are available to everyone, verification of identity is necessary at the time of registration:

1. Photo ID
2. Residential address verification.
3. Verification of eligibility to receive a no-cost non-resident library card, with one of the following:
   1. Verification of Fayetteville property ownership
   2. Verification of attendance at a Fayetteville school
   3. Verification of employment within the Fayetteville city limits
   4. Verification of permanent residency in Washington County, City of Bentonville, City of Elkins, City of Springdale, City of Winslow, or City of Rogers
   5. Verification of status as staff or board member of a non-profit (501c3) organization located in Washington, Benton, Madison, or Carroll County
4. A parent/guardian must take financial responsibility for materials borrowed by a minor or dependent and provide photo ID and address verification. 

D. unique situations

The Fayetteville Public Library seeks to provide library services to all those patrons seeking to register for a library card. Occasionally, a unique situation arises where the patron meets most requirements, but some requirement remains unfilled or a question is unanswered. In these instances, staff may issue a “temporary” or “conditional” card with limited borrowing privileges until the situation is resolved.